Dan Snow's History Hit Georgian Christmas
Dec 18, 2024
In this lively discussion, Rob Smith, a Footprints of London tour guide and expert on the city's history, reveals the raucous nature of Georgian Christmas celebrations. Listeners will be amused by tales of bare-knuckle boxing and absurd antics like an 18th-century showman cooking beef under his arms. Rob also highlights the cultural landscape shaped by the likes of Joey Grimaldi, the world's first clown, and contrasts the festive revelry with the more subdued Victorian times. It's a window into a vibrant, lewd, and extraordinary holiday spirit!
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Christmas Carol Code?
- During the 1745 Jacobite rebellion, London panicked, fearing a Catholic attack.
- "O Come All Ye Faithful," potentially a Jacobite code, added to the unease.
From Cows to Class
- Middleton Square, now grand residences, was once Butcher's Mantles, a cow pasture.
- Cows destined for Smithfield Market grazed there, fattening up before slaughter.
Mother Goose's Birthplace
- Pantomime, now a Christmas tradition, was year-round entertainment in the Georgian era.
- Thomas Dibden, a pantomime writer living in Middleton Square, created "Mother Goose."